Dumuzid Balaraq
Dumuzid Balaraq, 'born in roughly 970 AC, came to power as an Imperfect in 1010 AC after ten years of activity. Spawned from the world itself (as most Yokai tend to be), Dumuzid immediately entered into an era of chaotic reign wherein he was tortured day in and day out until a desperate escape into silent slumber. It was this experience that drove his equal hatred of both humanity and his own kin, provided the information that neither sought to show him any mercy in their bouts of torment. It was only after thirty long years that he found the world suiting enough for his presence, comforted by the lack of claws and swords pushed into his leathery skin. Venturing out into the wilderness, Dumuzid endured dozens of hardships, forced to bear horrific, scarring memories as the victim of too many torturous experiments to count. It was only after ten or so further years that his vengeance was enacted - ascending to the level of Imperfect and to the world stage as a whole, Dumuzid became a notable danger and a force to be reckoned with. After a war with the Wychwood Rebels and a subsequent victory, he garnered further notoriety as the world's number-one contender for opposition to the larger empire of Sareen and Ryan Kyros' control. Personality Much like the rest of his species of Yokai, the Zeus Elementals, Dumuzid bore a relentless intellect sharper than most humans could hope for-- yet this boon was heavily counteracted by his overwhelming rage, which, in times of particular stress or battle, outmatched even Inferni of equivalent tier. These bouts of anger were always short-lived, however, and very infrequently developed into fully-fledged grudges. The nature of the Imperfect matched the electricity he wielded, forcing him into a "hit fast, hit hard" mindset that proved to be his most defining character trait. Perhaps the second most prominent trait of Dumuzid's was a code of honor that he rarely if ''ever dared to break. He held those around him to standards unthinkable, oftentimes marking his own soldiers for death simply because they didn't follow his specific beliefs to the tee. These deaths, though, were oft done via his own hand, and never entertained mindless torment or torture. As a result of his terrible memories of being experimented with and torn open by humans and Yokai alike, Dumuzid assured that any who died under his watch did so with pride. It wasn't unheard of for the Imperfect to establish death-duels between himself and even the weakest of his soldiers for the sake of providing an "honorable" demise, though he'd settle for his higher-ups doing so as well when pressed for time. Unlike most of his kin, however, Dumuzid held little hatred for humanity specifically. To him, it was the actions of an individual that defined their soul and their person - save for the Ookami race, he very rarely discriminated against people as a result of their racial traits or spell-archetype. If they aligned with him and agreed to fight by his side, he'd even accept an Exorcist into his ranks, though the threshold for betrayal would likely be set much lower. This was due to his equally awful experiences with both his own kin as well as humanity as a whole; as mentioned, they both treated him with equal disrespect, and thus did Dumuzid bear little if any bias towards his own kind or against it. He utilized the same philosophy for most other distinctions as well, developing him into a seemingly "approachable" sort... ... Yet that is very much not the case. Despite all of his so-called "honor" and "approachability", Dumuzid was a monster, through and through. Bitter and bearing a distaste for practically everything living as a result of his poor early years, the Zeus-Imperfect conducted regular mass feasts, devouring dozens if not hundreds of his own soldiers, Yokai or human, by the day. His twisted sense of respect and honor led him to a mentality not necessarily insane by racial standards, but definitely inhuman to the very core. Believing his hunger for power to be a weakness due to its tendency to tempt him towards betrayal and deception, Dumuzid embraced his consumption to an obsessive degree, oftentimes more than Imperfects prior to him would have dared to. Abilities 'Lightning; '''Dumuzid, as a Kaor Lord, bore such an extreme proficiency for the art of electrical manipulation that few if any humans could ever hope to match him. Even human masters were challenged as a result of his racial attunement to the element as a whole, especially provided the particular ''lack ''of lightning magi during his era. Upon ascension to Imperfection, Dumuzid became absolutely untouched in terms of his complete, absolute dominance over lightning, growing to such an extent that his prowess allowed him to float on invisible platforms of manifested static. Unlike many of his kin whom chose to specialize in the Occultic magics which they bore the most ''natural affinity for, Dumuzid was captivated by electricity and its resonance with his personality. As he developed his abilities in this art, Dumuzid grew along the path of a Zeus, eventually becoming so robustly hard-headed that he garnered a distinct reputation for his tunnel-vision, both mentally and physically. In combat, his lightning became feared for its explosive potential. If you managed to dodge an instantaneous bolt of electricity from the behest of Dumuzid, it'd probably bring down whatever it hit instead; and, if you didn't dodge? Few even top-tier magi could hope to withstand more than a handful of Dumuzid's strikes. This, of course, came with significant draw-backs. As mentioned, it caused him to garner a reputation for outstanding tunnel-vision, oftentimes outright ignoring other opponents in a war or battle of another sort for the sake of gunning down a singular target or opponent. Even his own soldiers were frequently disregarded for the sake of the Imperfect's desired enemy, which, above all else, took priority in his mind. This honed Dumuzid's single-target damage-type to a peak, while also drastically reducing his ability to fight multiple opponents at one time. At such incredible speeds, it's very nearly impossible to react with meaningful ability, and it decreases his accuracy despite raising his potency heavily. 'Occultism; '''As with all Yokai and Imperfects, Dumuzid wielded darkness with outstanding prowess. While it was not his focus, he was nonetheless very nearly immune to all Occultic effects, utilizing his abilities as an Imperfect to divert an enemy Occultist's attacks either elsewhere or into his darkness-hungry ring, Demonbane. Even then, only master Occultists could hope to assault Dumuzid in the first place, given an Imperfect's thralling proficiency. Those who hadn't yet obtained dominance over their own demons found Dumuzid's will overbearing, forcing those same demons to obey his words to the tee. '''Melee; '''As a Kaor, Dumuzid rarely used his physical form for attacks, instead preferring the art of lightning magic to do his heavy-lifting. However, upon his ascension to Imperfection, he found the fact that his massively-condensed musculature wielded a weight comparable to small buildings or a collection of carriages to be useful for the sake of hand-to-hand and sword-reliant combat. With the enhanced, huge Balaraq, Dumuzid found great success in this art, a single swing capable of cleaving walls or even entire buildings in two. Only the mightiest of swordsmen could hope to take a downward thrust of the Imperfect's into their own sword, deflection often being one of the only available courses-of-action. With his tendency to throw himself into a wild, unrelenting rage as well, Dumuzid understood melee combat to be a useful outlet for such angers. While lightning and occult magics were easy enough and largely symbolic for the masterful Zeus, they still required a significant portion of his cognitive ability to cast and utilize. With melee, that need was nonexistent, and he could actually benefit off of mindless fury by way of enhancing the force of his strikes. After Arcelia Hirano's defeat of the former wielder of the Vampyr-blade Sanglamore, Rheagul, Dumuzid was known to force the blade to his will through sheer physical strength alone-- though that was not much of an acceptable solution for using the defiant sword in combat. History '''Infancy; '''The early years of Dumuzid's life are not hardly well-known. In fact, there exist only one or two to the day who could possibly claim to have watched the budding Yokai prior to his ascension to Kaordom. The Imperfect who prided himself over an admittedly flawed and incorrect sense of twisted "honor" was not always as such, and, during the first ~thirty or so years of his livelihood, almost the direct ''opposite ''remained as his mantra instead. He hid in caves and scuttled away from civilization, feeding off of rodents and other common rabble for the sake of survival and survival alone. Why Dumuzid Balaraq was forced into this dire situation is still not known to most, if any; however, what is clear is that after the aforementioned thirty years were up, something snapped, and his personality changed forever. '''Adolescence; '''Prior to his ascension to Imperfection and after his period of pitiable sadness at the beginning of his life, Dumuzid reigned over a meager holding at the northern-most portion of Valmasia: namely, the Yokai Citadel. Known for bringing dozens of legendary Occultists and Yokai to fame, such as Kokb'ael Kzer-za, Dumuzid, believing himself to be destined for similar titles, overtook the aforementioned Citadel by force, utilizing his relatively normal telepathic command as a Kaor Lord to quickly surge through its tunnels and upper levels. Unbeknownst to Dumuzid, however, had he stepped upon toes that many would never get the opportunity to kiss. The toes of Lucien Hirano, in fact - or, more specifically, those of the Diabolicon incarnate, an arcane and dark trickster-artifact known chiefly for its tendency to come alive in the form of a debatable human and wreak havoc for the sake of war and destruction. Encountering this creature whom he had stepped upon inadvertently within a Nostvalen home, Dumuzid struck a deal.. an alliance, even-- One interrupted by Hauk Fildegarde. No combat was engaged; however, tenser words have not since been spoken in that same home, built off of the Goddess Sareen's severe distaste for treachery and acts of traitorous intent. Saved solely by the avatar of the Diabolicon's relation to said Goddess, Dumuzid swiftly retreated to the Yokai Citadel, understanding Nostvale to no longer be an ally of any regard. It was shortly after this point in time that Dumuzid, alongside his Yokai Citadel, waged its first and second war with the Ookami Rebels. While the first war was largely unsuccessful, it is rumored that the casualties in that initial encounter - namely those Dumuzid consumed - kickstarted his ascension to Imperfection, and upon the date of the second war, an evil greater than any in a century had already risen. '''Ascension; '''The Yokai Citadel claimed nigh-absolute victory over the Ookami Rebels after Dumuzid's ascension, removing their majority numbers from the maps.. including Lara Kien, their leader and guide. With the Rebels deleted and with newfound power, Dumuzid and his Citadel retook the Wychwood, infesting it once more with Yokai and Occultism to prepare for what was to come. Soon thereafter, the activity of the Citadel proved too broad for its relatively tiny confines. Ragnarok, an official army labeled as such to describe their collective goal of bringing down every last God of Eternia, was formed with the express purpose of organizing the previously-distraught legions of Dumuzid Balaraq. And with this newly-founded militia, they marched upon the weakest of the three Allied Cities, taking Calliope Kastra and Loranthis by storm. Calliope herself was slain in one-on-one combat with Dumuzid, while the city was overtaken via the many dozens or even hundreds of mind-thralled Occultists and Yokai. It is said that the Legendary Dark Blade Durendal was retrieved during this time period, though why or how Calliope Kastra managed to obtain the blade itself initially remains a mystery. While it is not known exactly how the Lightning Imperfect's famed generals came to be, nor when or why they met with the Imperfect himself, one can presume that Nahele, Lorelei, Lasswell, and many of Dumuzid's other lieutenants coalesced within his organization between the second war with the Ookami Rebels and the following war with Loranthis and Calliope Kastra as a result of the former two general's direct participation in the latter conflict. Trivia *By the Eternia Power Ranking, Dumuzid Balaraq possesses the following stats: ''Strength ('S), Durability (S+), Agility (B+), Magic Power (S'), Magic Damage ('SS+), Intelligence (B-), Willpower (D)'' Category:Legendary Category:Characters